1) After patience, strength; for the Buddhas’ Enlightenment belongs to the strong. Without strength, neither merit nor knowledge is acquired; even as the “wind” is needed for there to be movement.
2) What is strength? Energy for the good, energy against evil. What are its enemies? Sloth, attachment to evil pleasures, discouragement, and the self-contempt that follows from it.
3) Whence comes sloth? From a detestable sense of security amid the pains of existence; whence neglect of good works, delight in pleasure, torpor, and the desire for one’s pillow.
4) I am in the power of the passions, as the fish in the hands of the fishermen, for I am in the net of rebirths; and, even at this moment, do I truly understand that death is about to swallow me?
5) Dost thou not see those who were of thy flock, thy companions from childhood, struck down one after another? And yet thou abandonest thyself to sleep like an ox destined for the slaughterhouse!
6) Yama, the king of death, watcheth thee and closeth every passage; condemned to death, the executioners surround thee. How findest thou pleasure in eating, sleeping, loving?
7) But there will be time, thou thinkest, when death hath made its preparations and can delay no longer: then it will be too late to shake off thy sloth, to act.
2) What is strength? Energy for the good, energy against evil. What are its enemies? Sloth, attachment to evil pleasures, discouragement, and the self-contempt that follows from it.
3) Whence comes sloth? From a detestable sense of security amid the pains of existence; whence neglect of good works, delight in pleasure, torpor, and the desire for one’s pillow.
4) I am in the power of the passions, as the fish in the hands of the fishermen, for I am in the net of rebirths; and, even at this moment, do I truly understand that death is about to swallow me?
5) Dost thou not see those who were of thy flock, thy companions from childhood, struck down one after another? And yet thou abandonest thyself to sleep like an ox destined for the slaughterhouse!
6) Yama, the king of death, watcheth thee and closeth every passage; condemned to death, the executioners surround thee. How findest thou pleasure in eating, sleeping, loving?
7) But there will be time, thou thinkest, when death hath made its preparations and can delay no longer: then it will be too late to shake off thy sloth, to act.
8) “This is not done, [for I thought to do it to-morrow]; this is begun [which I ought long ago to have done]; this remains half done: and lo, sudden death! Ah! I am lost!” And while thou thinkest [of thy neglected duties],
9) around thee shall be thy kindred, red-eyed, their faces swollen and covered with tears in the excess of their sorrow; before thee, the dread countenance of Yama’s messengers.
10) Broken by the remembrance of thy sins, thine ear trembling at the cry of the damned, defiled by thine own filth, thou shalt command neither thy body, nor thy speech, nor thy thought. What wilt thou be able to do?
11) We are like the fish which [the Orientals] keep alive [to feed upon them]. Let us fear death, while it is not too late;—[death,] what say I? Rather, since we are sinners, the terrible torments of hell.
12) How, poor pampered child, thou criest when thou burnest thyself with hot water; yet thy sin of hell leaveth thee in perfect security!
13) Thou makest no effort and countest upon reward; thou fearest suffering and art doomed to all sufferings; thou deemest thyself immortal, and art already seized by death. Ah! wretch, thou art bringing thyself to ruin.
9) around thee shall be thy kindred, red-eyed, their faces swollen and covered with tears in the excess of their sorrow; before thee, the dread countenance of Yama’s messengers.
10) Broken by the remembrance of thy sins, thine ear trembling at the cry of the damned, defiled by thine own filth, thou shalt command neither thy body, nor thy speech, nor thy thought. What wilt thou be able to do?
11) We are like the fish which [the Orientals] keep alive [to feed upon them]. Let us fear death, while it is not too late;—[death,] what say I? Rather, since we are sinners, the terrible torments of hell.
12) How, poor pampered child, thou criest when thou burnest thyself with hot water; yet thy sin of hell leaveth thee in perfect security!
13) Thou makest no effort and countest upon reward; thou fearest suffering and art doomed to all sufferings; thou deemest thyself immortal, and art already seized by death. Ah! wretch, thou art bringing thyself to ruin.
14) Since, [O peerless happiness], thou hast set foot upon this ship, which is the state of man, cross the broad river of suffering. Fool! This is no time for sleep. When, and at what cost, wilt thou ever find this ship again?
15) Thou scornest the excellent joy of good works, the source of felicities that renew themselves without end; and thou takest pleasure in dissipation, [laughter, games, songs, in pleasures] that shall ripen into suffering.
16) Self-confidence, the [four] divisions of the army, exclusive application, self-mastery, the equal regard for self and others, and the substitution of others for oneself: [these are the enemies of sloth; the auxiliaries of strength].
17) Thou must not lose heart, saying: “How shall I ever attain the enlightenment of the Buddhas?” For the truthful Tathâgata declared this in all truth.
18) “They were insects, mosquitoes, flies and worms [these sovereign Buddhas, Çâkyamuni, Ratnaçikhin, Dîpaṅkara]. By striving, they attained supreme enlightenment, so difficult to attain.”
19) And I have already obtained the privileged state of human existence; I know how to distinguish what is good from what is evil. Why, faithful to the precepts of the Omniscient One, should I not attain the enlightenment of the Buddhas?
20) But I tremble at the thought of sacrificing, [as future Buddhas must do,] my hands, my feet and [even my life]! It is because thou dost not reflect, [O my soul!] Thou deemest what is light to be heavy, and what is heavy to be light.
15) Thou scornest the excellent joy of good works, the source of felicities that renew themselves without end; and thou takest pleasure in dissipation, [laughter, games, songs, in pleasures] that shall ripen into suffering.
16) Self-confidence, the [four] divisions of the army, exclusive application, self-mastery, the equal regard for self and others, and the substitution of others for oneself: [these are the enemies of sloth; the auxiliaries of strength].
17) Thou must not lose heart, saying: “How shall I ever attain the enlightenment of the Buddhas?” For the truthful Tathâgata declared this in all truth.
18) “They were insects, mosquitoes, flies and worms [these sovereign Buddhas, Çâkyamuni, Ratnaçikhin, Dîpaṅkara]. By striving, they attained supreme enlightenment, so difficult to attain.”
19) And I have already obtained the privileged state of human existence; I know how to distinguish what is good from what is evil. Why, faithful to the precepts of the Omniscient One, should I not attain the enlightenment of the Buddhas?
20) But I tremble at the thought of sacrificing, [as future Buddhas must do,] my hands, my feet and [even my life]! It is because thou dost not reflect, [O my soul!] Thou deemest what is light to be heavy, and what is heavy to be light.
21) [On the one hand,] the body mutilated, lacerated, burned, cleft with red-hot saws; torments renewed without end through innumerable and barren ages for the sake of enlightenment [: this is what thou deemest light].
22) Measured, on the contrary, is the suffering that gives rise to enlightenment: like the brief pain of extracting a thorn lodged in the flesh.
23) All physicians perform painful operations [or prescribe a painful regimen] to restore health. It is therefore meet that thou suffer a little to appease the everlasting pain of thyself and thy neighbour!
24) But this method, though meet, the best of physicians imposes not [upon novices]: it is by a very gentle method, [proportioned to the strength of the faithful], that he heals the [passions], diseases inveterate and dangerous.
25) Our Master, indeed, begins by enjoining [easy sacrifices]: “Give vegetables [and rice]”; afterwards, and gradually, he brings it about that [the faithful one] willingly renounces even his own flesh.
26) [The practice of charity gradually destroys all selfishness, and] when the bodhisattva is no more attached to his body than to vegetables, is it difficult for him to give his flesh and bones?
27) The bodhisattva is beyond all bodily pain, for he has cast off sin; beyond all sorrow, for he knows the truth [of the twofold nothingness]: now the mind suffers through error, the body through sin.
22) Measured, on the contrary, is the suffering that gives rise to enlightenment: like the brief pain of extracting a thorn lodged in the flesh.
23) All physicians perform painful operations [or prescribe a painful regimen] to restore health. It is therefore meet that thou suffer a little to appease the everlasting pain of thyself and thy neighbour!
24) But this method, though meet, the best of physicians imposes not [upon novices]: it is by a very gentle method, [proportioned to the strength of the faithful], that he heals the [passions], diseases inveterate and dangerous.
25) Our Master, indeed, begins by enjoining [easy sacrifices]: “Give vegetables [and rice]”; afterwards, and gradually, he brings it about that [the faithful one] willingly renounces even his own flesh.
26) [The practice of charity gradually destroys all selfishness, and] when the bodhisattva is no more attached to his body than to vegetables, is it difficult for him to give his flesh and bones?
27) The bodhisattva is beyond all bodily pain, for he has cast off sin; beyond all sorrow, for he knows the truth [of the twofold nothingness]: now the mind suffers through error, the body through sin.
28) Good deeds ensure the happiness of the body; knowledge, the happiness of the soul: nothing has power over the compassionate [bodhisattva] who remains in this world for the good of others.
[Void]
Buddhas are then born in the presence of the Blessed One [Amitâbha].
As for sinners, whose deeds are [utterly] evil: carefully flayed by the executioners of Yama, uttering lamentable cries, plunged into molten copper, hewn apart with swords and burning instruments, they fall again and again upon the red-hot iron floor.
Meditate upon these truths, and, with your hearts trembling, form [renew] the vow to devote yourselves to the good.
[Already] devoted [to the good], the bodhisattva cultivates pride according to the principles of the Vajradhvaja-sûtra.
First examine your strength [and measure it against the task]: undertake or refrain from undertaking, as the case may be, for it is better not to begin than to turn back.
[Why?] One would acquire the habit, in this life and the next, [of abandoning one’s undertakings]; [failure to fulfil one’s promises is] a sin, whence suffering; the work [one leaves unfinished, the undertaking one will not bring to completion,] is lost; lost is the time [one should have spent otherwise, and lost the work one ought to have done]; and, finally, the work [rashly begun remains] unfinished: for these five reasons, it is better not to begin than to turn back.
[Void]
Buddhas are then born in the presence of the Blessed One [Amitâbha].
As for sinners, whose deeds are [utterly] evil: carefully flayed by the executioners of Yama, uttering lamentable cries, plunged into molten copper, hewn apart with swords and burning instruments, they fall again and again upon the red-hot iron floor.
Meditate upon these truths, and, with your hearts trembling, form [renew] the vow to devote yourselves to the good.
[Already] devoted [to the good], the bodhisattva cultivates pride according to the principles of the Vajradhvaja-sûtra.
First examine your strength [and measure it against the task]: undertake or refrain from undertaking, as the case may be, for it is better not to begin than to turn back.
[Why?] One would acquire the habit, in this life and the next, [of abandoning one’s undertakings]; [failure to fulfil one’s promises is] a sin, whence suffering; the work [one leaves unfinished, the undertaking one will not bring to completion,] is lost; lost is the time [one should have spent otherwise, and lost the work one ought to have done]; and, finally, the work [rashly begun remains] unfinished: for these five reasons, it is better not to begin than to turn back.
There are three rightful prides: the pride of action, the pride against passion, and the pride of power.
By the first, one claims the work for oneself alone: “This wretched humanity, enslaved by the passions, is incapable of doing anything for its own good. [I, a bodhisattva,] must do everything in its place and for its sake: I am not powerless like the others.”
Were such a one to do menial work while I am here, [I, the servant of all beings]! If through pride I do not take his place, let my pride perish rather!
The crow becomes a Garuda when it attacks a dead lizard. The slightest occasion for sin will bring me down if my mind is weak [if my bodhisattva pride is undermined by passion].
When a man lacks resolve and moral energy, [through indolence and forgetfulness of the law], occasions for sin and falls are frequent; but when the mind is intent, vigorous, [attentive], the greatest temptations cannot overcome it.
Therefore I will strengthen my mind [and arm myself with holy pride]: I will destroy whoever would destroy me. Is it not ridiculous that one who would conquer the triple world should be overcome by temptation?
I shall triumph over all; I shall be overcome by none. Such is my pride: am I not the son of the [Buddhas, those] Victorious Ones, those lions?
By the first, one claims the work for oneself alone: “This wretched humanity, enslaved by the passions, is incapable of doing anything for its own good. [I, a bodhisattva,] must do everything in its place and for its sake: I am not powerless like the others.”
Were such a one to do menial work while I am here, [I, the servant of all beings]! If through pride I do not take his place, let my pride perish rather!
The crow becomes a Garuda when it attacks a dead lizard. The slightest occasion for sin will bring me down if my mind is weak [if my bodhisattva pride is undermined by passion].
When a man lacks resolve and moral energy, [through indolence and forgetfulness of the law], occasions for sin and falls are frequent; but when the mind is intent, vigorous, [attentive], the greatest temptations cannot overcome it.
Therefore I will strengthen my mind [and arm myself with holy pride]: I will destroy whoever would destroy me. Is it not ridiculous that one who would conquer the triple world should be overcome by temptation?
I shall triumph over all; I shall be overcome by none. Such is my pride: am I not the son of the [Buddhas, those] Victorious Ones, those lions?
Men vanquished by pride are wretches, and not proud men; the proud man does not become the possession of his enemy, and the [false] proud are the slaves of this enemy, which is pride.
57-58j Pride casts them into the lower destinies;
or if, by chance, they obtain human existence, bereft
of all strength and joy, eating another’s bread,
reduced to slavery, brutish, hideous, feeble, they are
despised by all, those wretches who stiffen themselves in pride.
If thou deemest them proud men, whom wilt thou call
cowards and wretches?
59) These are the proud, the victorious, the
heroes, the bodhisattvas who pride themselves on crushing
pride, that enemy; who annihilate pride in its
furious assaults, and, [become Buddhas], make the fruit
of their victory manifest to the world without end!
60) When he is surrounded by the host of passions,
[the bodhisattva, like a warrior], redoubles his insolent
pride: he is invulnerable to the passions, as the lion to
the host of beasts.
61) It cannot happen, whatever may come, that [the bodhisattva]
yields to the passions: just as the eye shall never
taste flavours.
62) To the meritorious work, reading, meditation, etc., whose
time has come, he applies all his strength; he
intoxicates himself, never sated, with the savour it contains: like
[a gambler] wholly given over to pleasure and gain.
57-58j Pride casts them into the lower destinies;
or if, by chance, they obtain human existence, bereft
of all strength and joy, eating another’s bread,
reduced to slavery, brutish, hideous, feeble, they are
despised by all, those wretches who stiffen themselves in pride.
If thou deemest them proud men, whom wilt thou call
cowards and wretches?
59) These are the proud, the victorious, the
heroes, the bodhisattvas who pride themselves on crushing
pride, that enemy; who annihilate pride in its
furious assaults, and, [become Buddhas], make the fruit
of their victory manifest to the world without end!
60) When he is surrounded by the host of passions,
[the bodhisattva, like a warrior], redoubles his insolent
pride: he is invulnerable to the passions, as the lion to
the host of beasts.
61) It cannot happen, whatever may come, that [the bodhisattva]
yields to the passions: just as the eye shall never
taste flavours.
62) To the meritorious work, reading, meditation, etc., whose
time has come, he applies all his strength; he
intoxicates himself, never sated, with the savour it contains: like
[a gambler] wholly given over to pleasure and gain.
63) Every action, whether fruitless or fruitful, has for
its principle the hope of some good. But for him whose happiness
lies in the action itself, there is no happiness save
in action.
64) Pleasures, — honey upon the edge of a razor, —
sate not the living; and who would be sated with the am-
brosia of good works which ripen here below into savoury fruits
and bring forth final happiness?
65) Therefore, when one task is done, let [the bodhisattva]
plunge at once into another; as the elephant, beneath
the noontide blaze, plunges first into the lake.
66) [But this intoxication with action is not without rule.]
When he sees that his strength fails [to complete
the work begun], he pauses, intending to complete it later.
And when the work undertaken is finished, he ceases to attend
to it, wholly intent upon the task that must follow [and its
fruit].
67) [The saint] has but one thought: to guard himself against
the blows of the passions, and to deal them decisive blows; like the hero,
who fights with the sword, [yet more skilfully], a skilful adversary:
68) If the sword should fall, he takes it up again, swift
as fear. When memory, that sword, escapes him,
[the saint] takes it up again [and stands on guard], remembering the hells.
69) Every wound is grave, for if poison enters
the blood, it spreads through the whole body; even so does evil spread through the mind, if it finds a fissure [through which to enter].
its principle the hope of some good. But for him whose happiness
lies in the action itself, there is no happiness save
in action.
64) Pleasures, — honey upon the edge of a razor, —
sate not the living; and who would be sated with the am-
brosia of good works which ripen here below into savoury fruits
and bring forth final happiness?
65) Therefore, when one task is done, let [the bodhisattva]
plunge at once into another; as the elephant, beneath
the noontide blaze, plunges first into the lake.
66) [But this intoxication with action is not without rule.]
When he sees that his strength fails [to complete
the work begun], he pauses, intending to complete it later.
And when the work undertaken is finished, he ceases to attend
to it, wholly intent upon the task that must follow [and its
fruit].
67) [The saint] has but one thought: to guard himself against
the blows of the passions, and to deal them decisive blows; like the hero,
who fights with the sword, [yet more skilfully], a skilful adversary:
68) If the sword should fall, he takes it up again, swift
as fear. When memory, that sword, escapes him,
[the saint] takes it up again [and stands on guard], remembering the hells.
69) Every wound is grave, for if poison enters
the blood, it spreads through the whole body; even so does evil spread through the mind, if it finds a fissure [through which to enter].
70) As [in the legend,] the man who bears a
vessel filled with oil; soldiers surround him, iron in hand;
[the ground is slippery] ; the least false step is fatal, [for a
single drop spilled will cost him his life]. So attentive is the
bodhisattva [who fears hell].
71) As if a serpent were creeping upon his breast, so
swiftly [, so fearfully], the bodhisattva reacts violently
against sleep and languor as they steal upon him.
72) If it happen that he falters, [he is like a brave man:] he
grieves and reflects: “How may I ensure that this happen
to me no more?”
73) Therefore he seeks the company [of spiritual friends],
the work [they enjoin and the punishments they inflict],
to learn to train himself [attentively] in mindfulness
of the Law, [and thus to increase his strength].
74) He never forgets the “Discourse on Mindfulness”; he makes
his mind and body quick and pliant, so that
he is always ready in every matter, before he must even begin.
As the seed of the cotton plant obeys the wind, going
and coming at its impulse;
so too the bodhisattva moves as he wills.
Thus are magical powers and every felicity attained.
vessel filled with oil; soldiers surround him, iron in hand;
[the ground is slippery] ; the least false step is fatal, [for a
single drop spilled will cost him his life]. So attentive is the
bodhisattva [who fears hell].
71) As if a serpent were creeping upon his breast, so
swiftly [, so fearfully], the bodhisattva reacts violently
against sleep and languor as they steal upon him.
72) If it happen that he falters, [he is like a brave man:] he
grieves and reflects: “How may I ensure that this happen
to me no more?”
73) Therefore he seeks the company [of spiritual friends],
the work [they enjoin and the punishments they inflict],
to learn to train himself [attentively] in mindfulness
of the Law, [and thus to increase his strength].
74) He never forgets the “Discourse on Mindfulness”; he makes
his mind and body quick and pliant, so that
he is always ready in every matter, before he must even begin.
As the seed of the cotton plant obeys the wind, going
and coming at its impulse;
so too the bodhisattva moves as he wills.
Thus are magical powers and every felicity attained.